Hiding From Darkness
by sweety484
Summary: Liz learns of Max's little interlude with Tess and does not cope well at all.
1. Crush Me

Title: Hiding From Darkness

Author: Anerastar

Summary: Liz hears of Max's interlude with Max and doesn't cope well.

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. If I did Zan would be licking warm honey off of my tummy, but since that ain't happening anytime soon. You know the drill.

At 6:31 she learned of the truth. Kyle told her, wincing as each word left his mouth, knowing full well that each word was like a shard of glass destroying Liz.

Tess was pregnant.

Max was the father.

At 6:45 she was jogging to the Evan's house. Needing answers, requiring relief, seeking a balm to soothe the jagged edges of her soul. Something was wrong. This could never be true. 

He was hers.

She was his.

Didn't he know this?

At 6:54 she arrived breathlessly at the door of her beloved. Knocking once, she stood, shaking, staring deep into the fibers of the Evans' doormat. 

Isabel answered, seeing Liz's face and wordlessly moving aside. 

Time slowed to nanoseconds…..she focused on placing one foot in front of the other as she turned the corner.

Her heart stopped for approximately 2 seconds as she saw Max. 

Her Max. 

Her's.

Then her eyes widened as she took 1 more step, because Max was not alone. His visitor was Tess. 

Talking with her. 

She cocked her head. Surely she was seeing things, but was that his arm around her shoulder? She let her right hand pinch her left arm to make sure this wasn't a horribly surreal nightmare. The pain brought a small gasp from her pallid lips. This was real.

The gasp allowed Tess and Max to notice the shell of a girl in the hallway.

Max took two and a half steps to her, seeking absolvement, yet displaying his guilt with his eyes, as they bore into Liz. 

She held up her hand, palm faced outwards. She stared deep into his eyes as her insides crumbled.

"You stay away from me," she whispered deep from the recesses of her raspy throat…….

"Liz," he began, guilt tingeing the word he so revered.

She turned her back and at 6:58 she was out the door. Her hope tied and bound, dead. 

She walked home with what little strength she had left. Her mind awash in turmoil she entered through the Crashdown main entrance, full of the dinner-rush.

"Oh chica, I am _so glad you are here," Maria began, "there's this convention, and this place is gonna be packed….." Maria finally looked up and went pale, Liz was beyond devastated, Liz wouldn't even look at her, just __through her, as if she weren't really there at all. Something had happened. Something big. Liz was strong._

Very Strong.

"What's happened Liz?" she asked guardedly……trying to ascertain the information, trying to help her friend……

Liz ignored her……and silently strode through the customers as she made her way to the back of the building. 

She floated upstairs and to her room, unfeeling, unflinching. 

At 7:32 p.m Liz sat in the corner of her room, willing herself to be invisible. 

At 7:40 there was a rapping on her window. She knew who it was. 

Max.

Her betrayer.

She let her soul open, and she was burned.

He used his powers to open the window and to climb inside. What he found made his heart cringe. His Liz, staring wordlessly into the air, squeezed as far as she could into the corner. 

He thought she didn't notice his entrance, so glassy were her eyes.

He was wrong.

"do you ever listen Max?" came that same hollow voice.

"get out," she continued, "get out before I do something I might not regret."

This was not the Liz he expected, far from it, she was beyond reasoning. She had discovered something that had affected the very nature of her soul. This was not something that could be soothed over with words, something he was struggling with anyway.

With his heart burned away he climbed back outside the window.

At 7:45 Liz was alone, hearing Maria knocking on her door.

_"This is when we split Liz," came the voice from within. "I will take over on the outside, while inside…." The voice shook for a second, "inside you will do whatever you have to do. So until we get back up here, I take over, all right?"_

"Okay," Liz answered to the steady voice inside.

She put on her uniform, combed her hair, and opened the door to find a worried Maria. 

"What's wrong?" came Maria's worried query. 

Liz smiled, "nothing."

Maria was scared for her friend, she'd never seen a smile on someone with dead eyes, even days later this sight would give her nightmares.

Liz walked downstairs with Maria and went on autopilot, letting the Shell continue why she tried to work out the chaos of her mind. Two minds working towards one goal.

Survival.

None of the regulars noticed the eyes. Even her father was oblivious. Maria was at a loss, trying to work through what she could do. 

So silently, for the first time in 3 years, she and Liz cleaned up the Crashdown and closed. 

"Liz," Maria began again as she reached for her keys inside her purse. "Come with me, let me help you."

Liz shifted her head slightly with a quizzical smile. 

"Why would I need help, Maria?" she queried, "when I'm just fine."

With that said she turned on her sneakers and locked the door between her and Maria.

She walked to her room quickly. The exhaustion overwhelming her. 

Entering the room she closed the door and locked it.

_"We did it." Came the voice from within. "we will continue to survive. Just trust in me. It's all you now Liz…."_

Liz stripped off her uniform and climbed woodenly into the shower. She turned the knob as cold as it would go, washing her hair and scrubbing away at her body.

At 11:30 Liz took stock of her desk. Homework for different classes was divided into different sections. She looked them over. Lacking the motivation to attempt even the easiest of assignments. She was empty, bereft of anything.

She went to her bed and lay down on it, towel still wrapped around her chest, hair still soaking. 

At 2:15 Liz awoke with a shiver. Was she awake? Was she half-asleep? Liz still wondered about this days later. 

Wandering into the bathroom, eyeing the razor on the edge of the bathtub, Liz made a decision. With quick motions, Liz grabbed for the razor and spread the towel apart, exposing one bare leg. In few motions she sliced open numerous cuts on her leg, watching the blood run down her leg. She felt pain. 

But god, she _felt._

And that was all that mattered.


	2. Feel Me

**Part 2:**

The next morning Liz awoke curled next to the bathtub, lightly covered by the towel, a splash of red staining its pristine white cloth.

She shook her head, for a moment forgetting everything. 

Then it all came back, in a rush that left her nauseous and clinging to the toilet. 

Closing her eyes, she pulled back the towel that covered the leg. 

When she opened them, she nearly vomited. Angry red scars, some still bleeding, ran up and down her leg. 

Standing up she found the leg incredibly painful to walk on, for each muscle underneath played across an appendage that was torn and mutilated. 

She numbly opened up her small medical bag she kept next to the sink, 

_"band-aids aren't going to cover these……" she thought, thinking abstractly. _

"It's a feeling, though" Liz stated to no one……….

pain was hell, but what she had endured last night was more then hell, more then grief, more then horror. More then she had ever had to deal with in her life. 

So it ended up like this. 

At 6:02a.m Liz hobbled over to the clock and read its numbers. 

Absently she began getting ready for school. Wondering what to wear to cover and hide the evil. 

She sat down and stared at the wall, dumbfounded at her emotional state. 

At 6:45 she looked back at the clock. 

_"shit" she thought under her breath. _

Clothes were a matter of dark jeans, a white shirt, and a long sweater jacket, which she buttoned to the top, despite the hot southern temperatures. She tied her sneakers and put on her makeup, almost an automaton. 

_"It's me again," came the voice from the previous night, "you can't do this alone, you need my help. I will get you through the day Liz," the voice promised._

Almost identically to the night before she replied "fine."

Grabbing her spiral, she  headed downstairs and began the walk to school, limping ever so slightly, only noticeable to those who would truly know who she was.

Throughout the classes, everyone stared at her. She wasn't answering any questions, offering any answers. Even to those who only knew her in class this was an odd event. 

By third period she'd had enough. She went to the bathroom and locked her small frame in a stall….

_"Dammit, you asshole!" she railed against the other in her mind, "you are supposed to make me look normal! They all know!"_

The other answered just as quickly.

_"I am only here to help you survive Liz, not to make you 100%........I never promised you that…….I promised to get you through the day, and I'm doing that aren't I?" the voice concluded with more then a hint of annoyance._

Closing her eyes, Liz rested her head on the cool metal stall. 

Why god? Why? She asked internally……not expecting an answer. 

At 1:15 fourth period began. Fourth period. 

Chemistry. 

Max.

_Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod___

She entered the class, with a measured stare. Her leg beginning to hurt worse, she limped slightly into class, hugging her spiral to her breast tightly.

_Iwillnotlookathimiwillnotlookathimiwillnotlookathimiwillnotlookathimiwillnotlook_

She refused to meet his eyes as she sat down next to her hatred at the desk. 

He noticed her limp though, and concern flooded his thoughts.

"Liz," he began. 

"Shut up." 

At 1:17 Liz became hard. Her sensitivity was shot, her patience wearing thin as her leg throbbed and ached. A pain she both welcomed and despised. 

Max obeyed her command and stared ahead blessedly throughout the entire class. 

At 2:00p.m, Liz began walking home from class, hobbling more…….Maria sidled up next to her. 

"Liz, what's wrong?" she asked simply. Expecting a simple answer. 

Liz was skirting the edge of a cliff though, and was about to fall over at any moment………

"Leave me alone, please," she whispered to Maria. 

"I can't do that, Liz, what kind of friend would that make me?" she asked genuinely. 

"That would make you good….." Liz was biting back the venom that threatened to expel from her mouth………She had no idea where the anger was coming from. Well she did, but the magnitude of it was staggering.

"Just. Leave. Me. Alone. Do. You. Understand." She stared at Maria, hoping the words would have some effect this time. "Please."

So at 2:23 Liz cut off her friend. Someone else she didn't have to bother with. 

She made it up to her room, bypassing her parents completely, and laid down on her bed. Mentally and physically exhausted by the day's many activities.

_"Since when was the world ever this hard?" she asked herself._

"So when did you first see her?" Maria asked Alex, both at his house, discussing Liz's welfare. 

"1st Period," Alex responded gamely, "she ignored me too."

Both had sat for long moments of time racking their collective minds about what had occurred that day, and what had caused Liz to act in this odd manner.

"Maria….her limp," he looked at her concerned. This was no longer a matter of Liz depressed or having a bad day, something was physically wrong with her, and that was alarming to the both of them. 

"We should see Max," Maria finally concluded, "of all of us, he would probably know the most of what is going on."

So at 4:50 p.m Alex and Maria drove to the Evans' in Maria's ratty Jetta, hoping this stop would provide some clues to help their friend. 

Alex knocked on the door while Maria chewed her gum worriedly. 

Max answered, and invited them in. Maria motioned for them to be able to talk somewhere more private, noting that Mr. and Mrs. Evans were in the living room. 

Never one to beat skirt around a subject Maria stated their objective the second Max's door closed behind the trio. 

"What's wrong with Liz?" 

Max closed his eyes. So many words wanted to come to the surface, instead he rubbed his eyes. 

"You haven't heard, have you?" he asked mimicking the hollow tone that Liz had given him the night before. 

"Heard what?" Alex leaned in, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Tess is pregnant." He stated flatly.

Both of them looked at him oddly. _What does this info have to do with Liz? _

"I'm the father."

Max never new what was coming before Alex reached back and socked Max in the face.

Alex winced in pain for a moment, massaging his knuckles, "bastard!", he yelled at Max, "what did she ever do to you?"

"Nothing. _Everything." Came Max's flat reply._

Maria grabbed for a bottle of essential oil in her knapsack and took a large whiff……it appeared to help her calm down somewhat.

"What do you know about her limp?" Maria asked quickly, wanting to get out of the situation desperately. 

Max shook his head, "What?"

"Don't try to act concerned you ass, just answer the damn question." Alex spat out, livid at his best friends' betrayal.

"She was limping around class today, you must have noticed, or wait, yeah, lemme guess, you were probably too busy fooling around with Tess…" Alex continued."

Max's eyes were gone…….wondering when the hell had he not noticed that his other half was sick, or hurt, or worse……….

"I…, he began, "I don't know, I didn't notice." He at least had the good grace to look ashamed of his behavior.

"Come with us." Maria ordered Max. 

"Maria?" both Alex and Max said at the same time. 

"You two can duke it out later, we need to help Liz, and he," she pointed to max "can help her if its something physical"

"she doesn't want to see me." Max ground out…..

"Well look here Max, I don't give a shit what you think. You can help Liz. You are coming. Simple as that, and as God as my witness if I have to bash you over the head and drag you out of this house you are coming to help Liz……..So are we crystal?"

"Clear."


	3. Kill Me

**Part 3:**

At 4:51 Liz sat in her corner again, running her fingers through her hair. Still she was unable to cry, unable to shed even a single tear, though her very being was shattered. _"Some pain is just too much to bear, I suppose" she thought inwardly…_

Every moment she relived Kyle's words. Each sentence a dagger straight to her heart. 

Yet still she couldn't feel. 

A feeling that was as entirely fucked up as the situation presented to her yesterday. 

_"But, you can feel," came the voice again._

"How?" came Liz's honest question, completely forgetting the early morning hours of the cold metal against her warm skin. 

_"You need to feel, Liz, you can do it……..the same as last night. Just go to the bathroom. I'll take over"_

The voice had never betrayed her, not like others, _other, she corrected her grammar in her head._

So Liz stood up shakily, and headed for the bathroom. 

2 and ½ minutes later she watched herself from the sink as she sat on the bathtub edge, running the edge of the blade over her left forearm, closing her eyes as she did. Relishing the pain. Tears came to her eyes as she smiled. 

This was it. 

This was feeling.

A minute later she had a towel wrapped around her arm and was shedding off her pants to get a better look at her wounds. She walked lightly around the room, wearing only her white t shirt and her bikini underwear.  She paced back and forth, enjoying the feel of the pain of her leg, and the synchronous throbbing of her arm.

A knock at the door finally broke her morbid reverie as she went to answer it, still in a hazy fog, though she finally realized what she was wearing, and threw on a pair of shorts, completely forgetting about the obvious damage to her body.

"Who is it?" she asked wearily.

"It's me," Alex's voice came through the door, "please let me in." 

Liz's face went slack, and she ran her fingers once more through her hair absently. 

She opened the door and turned her back, walking towards her window, never noticing that there were two others with Alex.

"Liz……" Alex began, "you have to tell me what is wrong, so I can help you." He spoke slowly, hoping his words would take effect to her mind. 

Liz turned around slowly, her leg and towel wrapped arm coming into view of the others………..

All three sucked in their breath at the sight of Liz bleeding openly, and just staring at them. 

Liz's eyes widened as she saw Max.

"Oh my god." She shook as she backpedaled, opening up her window and attempting to climb out to the patio, unfortunately, she didn't' have the same dexterity due to her weakened state…….Instead she closed her eyes and slid down the wall to the floor. Willing the invisible state once again.

At 5:10 Liz parker was surrounded by three individuals who were each in their own respective states of shock. 

_"Why?"_

_"Oh My God"_

_"Liz, oh God, Liz"_

ran through their minds.

Suddenly Liz opened her eyes.

"Get him out of here." She seethed towards the trio. Instead of leaving the three moved closer to Liz, enveloping her. 

Maria sat next to Liz, holding her hand, trying to figure out what to say, as Alex took in the wounds on her leg. Her body unresponsive, he unrolled the towel from around her arm. 

Max felt ill. Why would she do this? Why would anyone do this?

"Liz," he began, "Let me heal you."

"Please." He added…..

Liz shook her head. Remembering months back. 

"you can't touch me."

Her thoughts ran through her mind for what seemed like an eternity, Flashing on the back of her eyelids in rapid succession. Max healing her. Max saying they couldn't be. Max trying to fix it. 

"Fuck it." She said softly.

She looked all three in the eyes, uncaring of their shocked expressions. 

"There's something I need to tell you. But it will destroy the world," a smile leaked to her lips. _"Like we really care, Liz," came the voice"_

_"In October, Max came to me from 13 years in the future. He told me that us being together would cause the end of the world."_

She started to laugh at that, then she began to cry, her body racked by sobs. 

"Tess would leave, which would in turn make you powerless. So what did I do? What did self-sacrificing Liz do?" she asked them. 

"I had to sell my soul for the lives of billions that's what. I had to do something so monumental that Max would think that I was the Evil. So the future version of Max and I concocted a plan."

She sobbed some more, Taking her fist and slamming it into her still bleeding thigh. 

"I would pretend to sleep with Kyle, so Max would never love me again."

She sobbed harder.

"I, Liz Parker, president of the Science Club, honor roll student, single-handedly saved this whole fucking planet." She stated between her labored breathes. 

"So all of you get the hell away from me, because none of you can know what I am dealing with."


	4. Help Me

**Part 4**

At 5:20 Max stumbled back at the intensity of her words. His mind a mixture of revulsion, anger, disbelief, and sorrow. 

Alex and Maria were at a loss of words, neither knew what to say to the sobbing girl between them. 

Max had something to say, and before he could reign it in his haggard voice said one word over and over. 

"Liar." 

He motioned to Liz, almost panicked, "she's lying," he stated, hoarsely… "I saw her……she was, was, she was in bed with Kyle, she slept with him." His voice rose with every word. 

"Oh no you don't, you bastard." Liz brought her shaking body to her feet and took three quick strides to him. 

"It was all a set-up, a fucking scam. How in the hell are you supposed to be my soul-mate, hell, the **King of an entire planet when you can't see the workings of something right in front of your eyes." Her eyes sparked as she talked, shaking her arm at him, small drops of blood landing on his shirt unnoticed. **

"You slept with Tess because you thought I was unfaithful, right?" she asked him, eyes boring into his. 

"Well you are the unfaithful one Max. You. You. You. You slept with her, you got her pregnant. All the while I saved myself for you."

She turned to the others, who still stood in shock. 

"And why?" she laughed, doubling over…..

"Because" she began to answer her own question, "I thought you were the center of my universe. Now I know how dead wrong I really was." Her voice cooled down towards the end, her energy expelled.

She went to the bathroom, turning around before entering. 

"Leave now. Leave." 

All three stood resolutely in their respective positions. 

She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated hard, her eyelids fluttering momentarily. 

She opened them again. 

"Leave." She ordered. 

Wordlessly they all left in ordered fashion. 

As soon as the door closed, she dropped to her knees, her head in agony……….she dragged her body over to the sink again and shook two Tylenol into her shaking hand, swallowing them down without water. 

She'd been experimenting with her developing powers and found that the one she had best control over was mind control……a feature she thought she would never need to use, but which aided her greatly at this time. 

"Damn you Max Evans." She swore under her breath…..with every ounce in her body she hated him hated how she felt when he was near, despised her own reactions to him. 

Her head began to ache more……..wincing, she opened her small medical bag again, and without any forethought, swallowed the entire contents of the Tylenol bottle , coughing a little as she did. 

_"One second." Her mind became fuzzy, trying to formulate what she had just done. __"What did you just do Liz Parker?"  she asked herself sketchily…. Wincing between the crushing pain in her head. _

Her vision getting fuzzy, she read that there were 100 pills in the bottle. 

_Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God………_

Her body racked with pain she crawled to her bedside table and picked up the phone and dialed 911. 

She heard the ring twice, "911, what is the nature of the emergency." Came a loud voice that almost made Liz drop the phone altogether. 

"Please….Please just help me." She managed to get out, before completely falling into dark oblivion. 


	5. Help Me

**Part 4**

At 5:20 Max stumbled back at the intensity of her words. His mind a mixture of revulsion, anger, disbelief, and sorrow. 

Alex and Maria were at a loss of words, neither knew what to say to the sobbing girl between them. 

Max had something to say, and before he could reign it in his haggard voice said one word over and over. 

"Liar." 

He motioned to Liz, almost panicked, "she's lying," he stated, hoarsely… "I saw her……she was, was, she was in bed with Kyle, she slept with him." His voice rose with every word. 

"Oh no you don't, you bastard." Liz brought her shaking body to her feet and took three quick strides to him. 

"It was all a set-up, a fucking scam. How in the hell are you supposed to be my soul-mate, hell, the **King of an entire planet when you can't see the workings of something right in front of your eyes." Her eyes sparked as she talked, shaking her arm at him, small drops of blood landing on his shirt unnoticed. **

"You slept with Tess because you thought I was unfaithful, right?" she asked him, eyes boring into his. 

"Well you are the unfaithful one Max. You. You. You. You slept with her, you got her pregnant. All the while I saved myself for you."

She turned to the others, who still stood in shock. 

"And why?" she laughed, doubling over…..

"Because" she began to answer her own question, "I thought you were the center of my universe. Now I know how dead wrong I really was." Her voice cooled down towards the end, her energy expelled.

She went to the bathroom, turning around before entering. 

"Leave now. Leave." 

All three stood resolutely in their respective positions. 

She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated hard, her eyelids fluttering momentarily. 

She opened them again. 

"Leave." She ordered. 

Wordlessly they all left in ordered fashion. 

As soon as the door closed, she dropped to her knees, her head in agony……….she dragged her body over to the sink again and shook two Tylenol into her shaking hand, swallowing them down without water. 

She'd been experimenting with her developing powers and found that the one she had best control over was mind control……a feature she thought she would never need to use, but which aided her greatly at this time. 

"Damn you Max Evans." She swore under her breath…..with every ounce in her body she hated him hated how she felt when he was near, despised her own reactions to him. 

Her head began to ache more……..wincing, she opened her small medical bag again, and without any forethought, swallowed the entire contents of the Tylenol bottle , coughing a little as she did. 

_"One second." Her mind became fuzzy, trying to formulate what she had just done. __"What did you just do Liz Parker?"  she asked herself sketchily…. Wincing between the crushing pain in her head. _

Her vision getting fuzzy, she read that there were 100 pills in the bottle. 

_Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God………_

Her body racked with pain she crawled to her bedside table and picked up the phone and dialed 911. 

She heard the ring twice, "911, what is the nature of the emergency." Came a loud voice that almost made Liz drop the phone altogether. 

"Please….Please just help me." She managed to get out, before completely falling into dark oblivion. 


	6. See Me

**Part 5**

Max, Alex and Maria made it as far as the doors of the Crashdown before Max put an arm out in front of them. Shaking his head slightly he waved his right hand over the other's heads. Both Alex and Maria seemed to come out of a trance, blinking rapidly. 

"What are we doing here?" Maria asked, weirded out. 

"Weren't we just with Liz?" Alex added.

"she's got powers now" whispered Max, loud enough for the all three to hear. 

"You mean that **Liz just made us leave?"……Alex's face was a mixture of confusion… _"Why would Liz have powers?" he thought quickly, before his face turned ashen and he ran back through the Crashdown……..Maria and Max not far behind._**

"Liz" Alex ordered, surveying the room with his eyes, noting the body on the floor, one hand still clutching the phone. 

Remembering his limited knowledge of first aid, he turned Liz over. His fingers were soon pressed to her wrist, looking desperately for a pulse.

At 5:35 p.m Alex said his first prayer to a god he still questioned, pleading for the life of his best friend.

He managed to find a pulse just as he heard sirens approaching. He noticed her blue lips and held her hand, willing her to live. 

Max and Maria stumbled in a moment later, taking in the sight before them. Maria dropped to her knees, "Is she?" 

"She's alive…….barely." Alex answered. 

"Move" they heard a loud voice behind them bellow. 

Three paramedics rushed into the room and surveyed the scene. Two extracted Liz's hand from Alex's as they placed her on the stretcher they had and began asking him questions. He didn't know much of Liz's medical history….so he was of little use to the paramedics, they looked about the room, investigating the bathroom, in a matter of moments, as one paramedic noted the empty bottle of Tylenol on the floor. 

"Overdose" he said and wrote and the same time. 

Maria began to sob as the three paramedics wheeled Liz out on a stretcher, strapped in and covered by a thin sheet. 

Max, Maria, and Alex followed closely behind, watching from the sidewalk as Liz was placed inside the ambulance and taken away. 

Maria was sobbing harder, Alex's arm around her, trying to comfort her, as Max stood apart from them. For a moment none knew what to do. Then Maria rustled through her purse to grab her car keys. She opened her door and looked at the other two. 

"Come or Stay." She managed to get out between sobs. 

Alex made the first move, Max coming up behind him and reluctantly getting into the car. 

The rode in silence…….suddenly another voice entered Max's mind _"max, max what's wrong?" It was Isabel…….__"damn I'm projecting." He thought to himself…_

_"We're going to the hospital…….Liz…….."  he couldn't make himself say the rest. __"Is she going to be alright?"  Isabel asked worriedly. _

_"I don't' know." And with that he cut off Isabel from his mind. _

Liz awoke with a start, noting her surroundings blankly. She was in a room. Not her room. She scrunched her eyes together, trying to put together what had happened and where she was. She remembered telling Max, Maria and Alex to leave, but beyond that, everything was a fuzzy blur. 

She sat up, noting the loose hospital pants and shirt she was wearing. 

She walked to the door and opened it, entering a darkened hall, light enough to see though. 

Walking down, she noticed the nurses station to the right. 

_"I'm at a hospital?"  _

She knocked lightly at the window. A blonde nurse came out quickly. 

"Where am I?" she got out, noticing how sore her throat was. 

"This is the Psyche unit at Roswell Hospital, do you remember what happened?" the nurse asked gently. 

Liz shook her head. 

"You overdosed," the nurse looked at her tablet again, "Liz."

"That's not true," Liz managed to get out, "I was just trying to get rid of the headache…" she trailed off, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. 

Think Parker, Think

"What time is it?"

"1:15a.m"

"Do my parents know?"

"Yes"

Liz winced at that. 

"How long am I in here for?"

"That's up to the doctor dear, you could be in here for 24 hours or longer. It's all up to him."

"Now why don't we get you back to bed?"

An arm latched onto Liz's and directed her to her new room. 

Liz obeyed and lay down. The nurse left and with that, Liz was left looking at the ceiling tiles until sleep finally claimed her. 

 "Hello Liz" she managed to hear as she sleepily lifted her head from her pillow. 

"I'm Dr. Rosin, I think we should talk about what happened last night."

Liz forced herself to an awake state and sat up, noting the Doctor sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed. 

"What happened last night?" he asked calmly

"I had a headache." 

The Doctor scribbled something down on his yellow tablet and looked at her again. 

"Liz, you took a full bottle of Tylenol, you must've had some other reason."

"none"

"then what are the marks on your body?"

Shit. She forgot about those. 

"I broke a vase and it scratched me while I was picking up the glass." Liz looked at him evenly. 

He scribbled more onto his pad. 

"And your leg?" he inquired.

"I tripped on my pillow and fell on the shards before I could clean them up."

He scribbled more. 

"What time is it?"

"1:45p.m"

"Why is my throat sore?"

"The emergency room had to pump your stomach last night"

"How long am I in here for?" 

"At least until tomorrow, maybe longer since you are 17 and a minor. I'll have to make that recommendation based upon my own accumulation of how well you are."

This is bullshit. Time for Plan B

_"Please God no headache" she intoned before starting. _

She closed her eyes, and appeared to the Dr. as though she were simply blinking. 

She opened them and looked directly into his eyes. 

"I am fine. I am normal. I fell on the vase, that is what happened to my leg. I was trying to clean up the vase. That is what happened to my arm. I had a headache last night. I was not suicidal. You will go up to the nurses station and tell them that I am fit to leave immediately. This interview is over. When I stop talking you will get up and go do what I have told you to."

Liz closed her eyes and opened them again to find the Dr. gone. No headache…..she smiled inwardly.

She stood up and walked out of the door. Going by the nurses station she looked inside, and knocked on the window again. 

"I'm free to go, right?" she looked into the woman's eyes. 

"Yes, of course you are" She guided Liz down the hall and slipped her security card into the slot watching the door open. 

"Have a good day" the nurse tossed to Liz. 

Liz looked back. "You too." And smiled again. 

Three steps out though Liz forgot about something. Sitting in the waiting room, and dozing were Max, Maria, and Alex……..Isabel and Michael were there too, along with her parents. 

Oh crap. 


	7. Leave Me

**Part 6 **

Liz quickly ascertained the scene with her eyes. She stood completely still staring at the half-asleep group, wondering what her plan of action, and more importantly, the psychological tactic she was going to have to use on them. There was no way she would be able to get the entire group to believe her……way too many for her power. She thought quickly and came to a plan. She could fool her parents……but it would have to be in front of the others. She swore lightly under her breath. This was definitely going to turn out bad one way or another. 

"Hi." She said just loud enough to wake the slumbering group.

Jeff and Nancy Parker rose first, striding quickly over to their daughter. 

She braced herself for the two onslaughts that were soon to come. 

"Elizabeth, Oh honey," he mother hugged her tight.

_Now or never.___

Liz closed her eyes. "Look at me." She asked, they complied.

"I am fine. Better then that. I am healthy and good. You will go home and wait for me there, but do not be worried, because I am fine. As soon as I stop speaking you will head out of the hospital and go home."

Her parents blinked for a moment then turned and walked down the hall, disappearing from sight. 

Prepare for onslaught two. 

All 6 looked at her with a mix of expressions on their faces. Shock, betrayal, anger, hurt, concern, confusion. 

"So you've probably figured out by now I have some power of my own," she started, flopping down onto one of the sofas as her head began to ache. 

They all sat down around her, copying her movement.

"Anyone have any Tylenol?" she asked around. "I've got the worst headache," she looked around at their expressions……. "Oh sorry, I kind of forgot about last night."

Michael spoke first, an unusual thing, Liz thought. 

"What did you just do to them?"

"Turns out one of my "little" powers is mind control……..never had a reason to use it, until now," she looked downcast. 

Maria sputtered out, "you can't do that."

"Why?" Liz asked, her brow furrowed, honestly confused. 

"Because you need help Liz, you can't just control everyone."

"Look Maria, I don't need a lecture from you. I just want to get out of here." She put on the face, the pouty one that usually worked with her. 

"Nuh-uh, Chica, that face isn't going to work today," Maria shot out, shaking her head. 

"Alex?" she turned to him, pleading in her eyes. 

He turned his head also with a pained expression in his eyes.

"So you are all going to turn on me? After I saved you all?" Liz asked incredulously. 

"Fine."

She stood up and stumbled for a moment, Alex leapt out of his chair to steady her. 

She shrugged him off and made her way down the corridor, tears threatening to escape at any moment. 

_"and still they don't care, do they Liz?"_

"Shut up."

Liz had to get out of the hospital, out of the city, the country, and if it were possible Earth entirely. 

She started walking……..and was still walking hours later as she saw the sun go down on the desert landscape. 

I am Liz. I have power. I fear no one. I leave no tracks. 

That was her motto….she just had to stick with it…….and figure out a way to get rid of the damned headaches. 

She heard an engine approach from the rear as she hooked out her thumb jerkily. 

And with that Liz Parker, damaged, torn, bloodied and betrayed, tried to abandon that which hurt her the most. 

Roswell.

Try being the operative word.


	8. Treat Me

Part 7:

"And so then I called the regional director, for Gods' sake….and STILL here I am driving this Godforsaken shipment to California. This was supposed to be my vacation, Hey, you asleep?"

Liz shook her head with a start, "Yeah, what an ass to make you do that…" she contributed, rolling her eyes to the passenger window. Could he talk about this any more?! She looked at the Clock on the dash, 2:14a.m. He'd been bitching about this trip for the last 7 hours it seemed. 

Must. Get. Out

"Um, this is my stop." She interjected as he began to go into another rant against the trucking business.

"You sure sweetie?" he added, looking out at the small town that they were approaching. 

Liz gave him a smile and a nod. "Definitely"

He pulled the Semi over and Liz jumped out, striking the pavement with a small thud. 

"Thanks again for the ride" she offered….

The man looked around at the barren streets and looked at her with a concerned expression...

"Really, I'm o.k." she assured him

"Well Good Luck Sarah" he waved at her a little as she closed the door. 

In a moment he was gone and she was left staring at the sign, 'Welcome to Soda Springs, Idaho. Pop. 3,803'

Oh god, this really was a small town. Do they even have a motel?

She walked down the street still barefoot, shivering in the cold. She saw a neon sign, letters flickering ominously…….though she tried to push the last word out of her head. Not ominously, she thought, just kind of scarily. Yeah, scarily. 

She made her way towards the sign, shivering harder……the thin scrubs given to her at the hospital providing her with little warmth. 

'Soda Inn' it read, well at least when the two N's weren't flickering in and out. The lobby was dark and the door locked. She pressed the buzzer on the door hopefully. It took a few minutes but finally the door opened and she found herself looking at a middle aged woman. 

"Hi, I'm here about a room." She managed to make out between her chattering teeth. 

"Oh honey, you must be freezing!" the woman exclaimed as she deftly brought Liz into the lobby. She closed the door behind her and took Liz in with a long stare. 'I'm sure the scrubs don't help my appearance' she thought. 

"I need a room."

"Of course you do," the woman went behind the counter and dragged out a large accounting booklet. "That will be 25.99; I'm assuming you want a single, right?"

Money. 

Shit. 

Liz really, really didn't want to do the next thing, but what were her alternatives? 

I am Liz. I have power. I fear no one. I leave no tracks.

Liz found the woman's eyes and looked deeply, "I don't have any money, but you are going to give me a room anyway, you will not wonder why I have no I.D or car, I am simply staying overnight, Understand?" The woman just nodded and then shook her head as if coming out of a daze. 

"Well, I suppose I'll put you in room 5" she grabbed a key from behind the desk and opened the door, indicating for Liz to follow her. 

After a short walk they approached #5 and the lady handed her the key and wordlessly walked back to the main office. 

Liz opened the door quickly, entered and locked it behind her……a headache already beginning to well up behind her temples. She was exhausted and freezing. She turned the heat in the room to the highest and took a hot shower. In the shower she marveled in a disquieting mixture of disgust and amazement at her wounds, most of which were healing nicely. 'How could I have gotten this bad?' she wondered to herself as she combed her damp hair out with her fingers...

She wasn't happy about stepping back into the hospital scrubs, but she was warm, and that's all she really cared about at that point. The room was toasty as well as she flipped on the small T.V and climbed into bed. 

The second her head hit the pillow she was out and felt her body drifting away. 

Suddenly she was at the tree line of a huge grassy field. She looked around, 'well this is an unusual dream,' she surmised as she adapted her Liz-Logic to it. 

She kept walking and was suddenly in a meadow, warm and bright from the sun, a figure stood a hundred feet away from her. She walked towards it, curious. 

"Liz"

That voice. 

"Liz, listen to me"

At the same time Isabel, Michael, Maria, Kyle, Alex and Max were gathered together in the desert. Isabel was touching Liz's picture and holding onto Max's hand. Beads of sweat were appearing on her forehead. "Max, she's fighting it; I can't do this much longer"

In the field Max tore after Liz finally catching up to and cornering her. 

"Where are you?" he asked……

She stood staring at him evenly. She'd be damned if she would tell. 

* "Max I'm losing my hold" * he heard Isabel exclaim

Max didn't like to lose control but he held Liz so that she could not move and used one hand to place on her forehead……..

Liz tried to resist, but he began accessing her memory…….

* "10 seconds Max, I'm closing the connection" *

He sped through the information in her head. Suddenly he was split apart and found he was lying on the floor of the desert 5 pairs of eyes on him.

"I know where she is," he started as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. 

Liz continued to slumber thinking the dream to be a nightmare………

__

"So it's agreed?" Max finished. All 5 nodded. He'd explained to them that all 6 of them leaving would cast extreme suspicion, which they desperately didn't need. So Max alone was going to try to reason with Liz. Maria argued with him for nearly a half-hour before finally acquiescing to his plan. She lent him her Jetta and all 5 pooled their monies to get them there, in another half hour Max was already on 285 north. Headed to help the only girl on the planet who wanted nothing to do with him. 

__

Liz awoke to sun streaming into her eyes……blinking rapidly she remembered the past night's hectic activities and got up sleepily. She used the Inn's courtesy toiletries and brushed her teeth absently, wondering what to do. Looking at her body in a mirror the first thing she needed, she quickly realized, were a new pair of clothes and shoes. Hmm. After a phone call to the front desk Liz made her way out of the Inn and was headed to McMannan's, a small clothing store in the town. She tried to stay on the back streets to avoid any looks that might befall her from Main Street. 

*Ding*

Liz opened the door and entered the small store; she quickly surveyed the goods and realized that there was no way she was going to be able to leave this place looking even remotely stylish. 'Well at least I'll blend in' she tried to think optimistically. 

She picked out a pair of Levi's, generic sneakers, socks, underwear, t-shirt, a black sweater. She took all of it to the dressing room and put it all on, feeling refreshed to be able to get out of the scrubs. Walking brazenly up to the counter she met the eyes of the owner, "You never saw me."

__

Max rubbed his eyes as he finally pulled the car over for a 30 minute nap, after swerving around for the last hour, he decided that his human physiology would not allow for such a drive without some amount of rest. He was almost to Salt Lake City, which meant almost to Liz. So close he could begin to feel her presence. 

__

At the exact time Liz rubbed her eyes, one mother of a migraine inching up on her. She'd had to use her power on the clothing store, for lunch, and now she had to use it again for another night's stay at the Inn. She fished around the room's toiletries and noticed for the first time the little package of Advil. 'Thank you God' she said as she downed the two and curled onto the bed….trying to recover. 

She woke up to find pure darkness, 'God, how long have I been sleeping?'….she turned on the lamp beside her bed and shot up in total shock. Max was sitting on a chair directly at the foot of her bed. 

"Max" she began

"Liz" he started softly…….

But both were interrupted by a bigger occurrence that made them look outside. A light flash that Max passed off as a lighting bolt, but which Liz was all too familiar with. 

"He's back…" she looked in Max's eyes. 

"Who?"

"You" she made out,  and she tried not to dissolve into insanity once more. 

__


End file.
